Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-03-26
SAVED FaoM MAwATEn GRAVE

SAVED F aOM A WATERY GRAVE
The Thousand Passengers Of the
scotia Rescued mt fire Island.
FIRE ISLAND, N. Y, March 25.-A
steamship is ashore near Blue Point sta.
ton. Long Island, fifteen miles east OF
here. Her masts ere gone, but her pipe
is still standing. She is we'll up on the
beach and appears to be settling. A
moderately brisk northwest wind is
blowing, with heavy sea running. The
Scotia is a screw, brig.rigged steamer,
1926 feet ia length, built at Leith, Scot
land, in 1918, and owned by Cypren
Febecolor & Co., of Marseilles. She
sailed from Marseilles in command OF
Capt. Ruffat on February Goth, thence to
Naples February 23d and Gibraltar Feb
ruary 81 h, for New York. The Scotia
is of 1928 net and 2492 gross tonnage.
The steamer went on at o'clock this
morning.
NEW YORK, March PA dispatch
received here at noon says that all the
passengers were saved and that they
would be taken to this city tomorrow.
The agent of the Fabre line in this city
received a dispatch from Captain Ruffat,
of the wrecked steamer Scotia, stating
that the passengers were all safe aud
would be sent to New York tomorrow.
The vessel was resting easy. The agent
thought that Captain Ruffat had beached
the vessel to save the lives Of her passen.
gers. A steamship has been chartered
to bring the Scotia's passengers into port.
1t was extremely fortunate for
the stranded steamer, now lying off
Blue Point life-saving station, that the
high wind and heavy sea which pre-.
vailed when she was run ashore sub
sided so opportunely this morning;
otherwise, instead of being in condition
to still offer shelter and accommodation
to the 1900 souls aboard of her, she
would probably be breaking up, and her
living freight, if all were saved, to reach
the beach would be exposed to merci-
less wind and with shorter rations than
have been their portion for twenty days
past. At daylight, when G ptain
Jones and his crew on the life.saving
station attempted to throw a line to the
vessel and later when an effort was made
to launch the lifeboat to reach her. the
surf rolled mountains high and the wind
blew hurricane. Within two hours a
moderate breezs and quieter sea per.
mitted the launching of the boat and
an approach to the steamer. The YES.
sci lies with her nose deep in the sand
headed northeast. Her appearance and
rigging, together with the general dis.
order OF her deck makes her appear a
most distressing object, while the poor
Foreigners who crowd her decks look
longingly amidst their excitement at the
land that is SO far and yet so near.
Through surfman who visited the
Scotia in the lifebost and conversed with
one of the steamers crew, who spoxe q
little English, it was learned that the
statement of the passenger Farina, who
succeeded in getting ashore in the first
boat which reached the vessel, as to the
terrible storms experienced and the suf-
fering Of the passengers, were not over
drawn. For nearly twenty days the
steamer met series of storms. the waves
dashing over her decks like huge noun
tains, and at times threatsning to entire
iy submerge her. During most Of this time
1T was necessary to keep the poor emf
grants packed like sardines in o box in
the steerage, where they were subjected
to indescribable sufferings, being thrown
from side to side of the vessel as she
pitched, and sustaining serious bruises
and fractures. Several men and women
had their arms and legs broken, while
the children of many of them are black |
aud blue from therfrequent contact with
posts and beams. The machinery of the
steamer had been of little use for
nearly week, and the fact of the ves-
sci having run ashore with her head
northeast, directly opposite to her pro-
per course, would inlicate that she had
been tossing about under slight control.
Captain Ruff,t behaved nobly, remain.
ing almost continually ON the bridge
during the week. Yesterday the lead
was thrown frequently, and last night
when the surroundings indicated the
proximity to the beach, aud the storm
not abating, while the vessel strained
and tossed, he decided to beach her and
in order to keep her more steady,
orered the cutting away of the masts.
When she struck the beach and the
tremor and awakening thud of the
shock wa, felt by the passengers. a
scene of indescribabie excitement pre-
vailed. Women and children screamed
and prayed aloud, while stalwart men
ran about shouting and gesticulating
wildly. 1t was hardly day break when
the vessel grounded, and those
on board could not distinguish
the land ahead, and it was not
until the life-saving crew reached the
ship, that the Captain knew just where
he was. Captain Bishop, the Merritt
Wrecking Company's agent, arrived on
the beach about six o'clock and immedi.
ately took charge of the plans for saving
the vessel, and made ready for the tugs
expected from New York After inspect-
ing the vessel Captain Bishop said he
thought she could be got off albright and
her cargo saved.
TVVn NEGKTUE PARTIES,